11-15-2020 – A Christians Spiritual DNA is LOVE
11-15-2020
1John 3:4-11
A Christians Spiritual DNA is LOVE…
Read 1John 3:4-6…
"4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who remains in Him sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or knows Him."
Because Christians are “in Christ,” we are to live as if we are incompatible with sin. The verb used (1John 3:4) in the phrase, “everyone who ‘practices’ sin,” speaks to the habitual lifestyle of ‘committing’ sin.
1John 3:4
"4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness."
We all have a conscience and we know right from wrong, whether believers or unbelievers (Genesis 3:22).
Genesis 3:22
"22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—"
(Romans 2:15), “They show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience [con=with, science=knowledge] bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.”
Romans 2:15
"15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,"
Unbelievers are controlled by the flesh because they do not have the Spirit of God (Romans 8:8).
Romans 8:8
"8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
Christians have a built-in sin detector [the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Christ] to help guard against the practice of sinning, for (Romans 8:9).
Romans 8:9
"9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him"
Do Christians sin? Yes! But because we have been born of God our new nature desires to avoid sin, not to practice sin.
1John 3:4 says “Lawlessness” depicts those who live apart from God, those who ignore God’s plan for people to exemplify Christ in their life.
1John 3:4
"4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness"
Christ died to pay for our sins, and the Holy Spirit marks [indwells] those who have been made holy (2Corinthians 5:21).
2Corinthians 5:21
"21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
1Corinthians 6:9-11
"9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
1Corinthians 6:19-20
"19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body."
Listen! We are not to live in a pattern of sin, for we have been born again by God’s Spirit; a continual pattern of unbroken sin is representative of those who don’t know Christ, those who are still dead in their sins.
Read 1John 3:7-9…
"7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil [a]has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God."
There are those today who teach (as in John's day), that it doesn’t matter how you live or what you do. John warns us not to be deceived or led astray by these false teachers and teachings.
God’s children seek to do what God’s Word says pleases Him. Those who reject God’s Word and Christ’s authority can’t please Him because they are of the devil.
Ever since Satan’s original rebellion and his eviction from the presence of God, Satan has diligently sought to destroy the plan of God, that being: To save and to sanctify a people who will love, serve, and desire to honor God.
Those who habitually practice sin belong to the devil [Greek, diabolos, “accuser,” “slanderer”) or Satan (Hebrew, “opposer,” “adversary”). Satan is himself the originator for all sin and leads the rebellion against God.
Unsaved people are under the control and influence of Satan; in a sense, they are Satan’s children, just as Christians are God’s children.
Satan was created perfect, and he originally served in the very presence of God; then he willfully chose to rebel against God by placing his own pride above his worship of God (cf. Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 24:13-14).
Isaiah 14:12-14
"12 How you have fallen from heaven, You star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who defeated the nations! 13 But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’"
Ezekiel 24:13-14
"13 In your filthiness is outrageous sin. Because I would have cleansed you, Yet you are not clean, You will not be cleansed from your filthiness again Until I have expended My wrath on you. 14 I, the Lord, have spoken; it is coming and I will act. I will not overlook, I will not pity, and I will not be sorry; according to your ways and according to your deeds I will judge you,” declares the Lord God.’”"
To place any thoughts or actions above or against the sovereign authority and holy nature of God, is to exemplify the very foundational rebelling in heaven by Satan, which led to the ultimate deception of Adam and Eve on earth, and through their sin, came the curse of death to each and every person who is born.
God’s plan all along, was that Jesus Christ would come and destroy that which had begun at the time of Satan’s rebellion, he is the preeminent enemy of God.
Satan is aggressively working against God, trying to deceive, confuse and corrupt the very people of God; but one day that will cease and Satan will be sent to hell forever and he will no longer be an adversary of God or a deceiver of humans (Revelation 20:10).
Revelation 20:10
"10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
Through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1John 3:9) we have been given a new birth, a new nature; becoming children and servants of God.
1John 3:9
"9 No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God."
Read 1John 3:10-11…
"10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we are to love one another;"
There are only two groups of people on this earth: those who seek to do what is right are children of God; those who seek not to do what is right are children of the devil!
Let me speak to one of my pet peeves here. You know when you fill out an application or questionnaire for the County, State, or Federal Government, and it asks you to signify what your Race is, basically wanting to know if you are of the Black, Brown, Red, Yellow, or White Race.
Look! There are many ethnicities or nationalities, but there is only one Race, the human race. This has been scientifically proven and undeniably demonstrated through genetic research, which should not surprise us, as God’s Word tells us that God made Adam and God made Eve and everyone on this planet came from them, as Paul says (Acts 17:26).
Acts 17:26
"26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,"
Paul goes on to say (Acts 17:27-28) that, the reason God made humans was so, “they would seek God… … though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist.”
Acts 17:27-28
"27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’"
Because God is righteous, we who belong to Him will also seek to be righteous. And our righteousness is most clearly seen when we express our love for one another (John 13:34-35).
John 13:34-35
"34 I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”"
The apostle John was so affected by that statement that he repeated it in 1John 3:11.
1John 3:11
"11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we are to love one another;"
As God’s children, we have God’s spiritual DNA, giving us the capacity to know, to receive, and to give God’s love [agape - unconditional, uncompromising, unmerited, irrevocable, intentional, and eternal].
If we were loving others as Christ loved us [He died for us], there would be no need for laws or courts; for there would be no conflicts, no assaults, no thefts, no murders. Why? Because we would be treating one another the way we want to be treated; we would be living out Ephesians 4:32.
Ephesians 4:32
"32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Jesus' love is sacrificial, compassionate, and forgiving; only that kind of love can fulfill the Greatest Commandment: Love the Lord with your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-37).
Deuteronomy 6:5
"5 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
Matthew 22:36-40
"36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”"
Mark 12:28-31
"28 One of the scribes came up and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”"
Luke 10:25-37
"25 And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed compassion to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”"
The proof of which is displayed (Luke 10) by loving your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9; Galatians
5:14; James 2:8).
Leviticus 19:18
"18 You shall not take vengeance, nor hold any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord."
Romans 13:9
"9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”"
Galatians 5:14
"14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”"
James 2:8
"8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well."
I’ll expound on this next time, in 1John 3:10-18.
1John 3:10-18
"10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we are to love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And for what reason did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. 17 But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him? 18 Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."
If Christians exemplified that kind of love for God and for other people, the world would be in awe of Christ; but because many, calling themselves Christians, live as self-centered, pious hypocrites, lacking Christlike love, the church has become ineffectual, ignored, and even disliked, in this world.
Paul writes (Ephesians 5:1-2).
Ephesians 5:1-2
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."
As a Christian, you are a new creation (John 1:12-13).
John 1:12-13
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."
If you are a Christian, you are born-again from above, through God’s Spirit, made effectual by Christ’s atoning death on the cross. Therefore, it most definitely matters how you live, both what you do and why you do it should align with that which is taught in God’s Word and reflective of God’s character (John 3:16), (1John 4:8).
John 3:16
"16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life."
1John 4:8
"8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
We who belong to God through Christ will seek to love others, as God has loved us, and has commanded us (John 15:12).
John 15:12
"12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."
Pastor Mike
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